
The John Hopper Memorial Heroes on the Bluff
Where Low Country Meets High Caliber
Saturday, September 16, 2023
Sporting Clays Tournament
Shoot With SEALs
Palmetto Bluff Shooting Club
9:00 AM
Team check-in
10:00 AM
Shotgun start
12:30 PM
Low Country BBQ field luncheon
Special Keynote Speaker Commander (SEAL) Grant Mann, USN (Ret.), Navy SEAL Museum Executive Director
Sunday, September 17, 2023
10:00 AM
Palmetto Bluff Navy SEAL Community Day
Guests will experience a live Navy SEAL tactical demonstration, and enjoy food trucks, physical training and family fun.
Cross Country Field at Longfield Stables
5:00 PM
An Elegant Dinner at Montage Palmetto Bluff
Wilson Ballroom
Special Keynote Speaker Lieutenant (SEAL) Jason Redman, USN (Ret.)
Live Auction
All Proceeds Benefit the National Navy SEAL Museum’s Trident House Charities Program
For additional information please contact Pete Cawley
cawley360@gmail.com
We honor John’s Memory by continuing the legacy he began for the cause he loved.
With Gratitude to Our Host Committee
Shannon and Jeff Begola
Mary and Pete Cawley
Linda and Ted Neely
Michelle and Jeff Solomon
Kris and Matt Kovalcik
Tickets for the John Hopper Memorial Heroes on The Bluff are now available. Reserve your place at this exciting weekend of events now.

Special Keynote Speaker
Retired Navy SEAL Jason Redman has defied the odds. He is a severely wounded warrior, NY Times and Amazon bestselling author, veteran advocate, business leader, and acclaimed leadership and resilience speaker. From a leadership failure back to redemption and respect, to being shot eight times including a round to the face in a fierce firefight in Iraq, Jason is the epitome of the Overcome Mindset. Jason now motivates and inspires audiences across the country with his remarkable journey of leadership, redemption, and building a relentless Overcome Mindset. Jason has merged all his lessons learned into relatable content teaching others how to lead themselves, Get off the X and Overcome all.
Jason runs Jason Redman LLC with a focus on helping individuals, companies and teams to “GET OFF THE X” ™ from failure, setbacks, changes and adversity. He provides, speaking, workshops, online programs, executive coaching and business consulting to businesses around the world. Additionally, Jason runs the Overcome Academy, individual and group coaching through his “Pointman for Life” Training and Overcome Army™ group coaching programs along with his Overcome and Survive Defense workshops, training and virtual courses with a focus on being ready for the worst, personally, physically and professionally.
Sponsorship Opportunities Available
Frogman Sponsor | |
Annual Membership at the Navy SEAL Museum Preferred Seating for Four at the Heroes on The Bluff Event Quarter Page Ad in Museum Publication Company Logo on Museum Website Recognition in Event Program |
Operator Sponsor | |
Annual Membership to the Navy SEAL Museum Preferred Seating for Six at the Heroes on The Bluff Event Half Page Ad in Museum Fire in the Hole Nationally Distributed Publication Recognition in Event Program Company Logo on Museum Website Social Media Promotion Engraved Museum Decanter with a Navy SEAL Museum Commemorative Bottle of Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select |
Trident Sponsor | |
Annual Membership to the Navy SEAL Museum Preferred Seating for Eight at the Heroes on The Bluff Event Company Logo on Museum Website Full-Page Ad in Museum Publication Recognition in Event Program Social Media Promotion Inclusion in Event Press Release Engraved Museum Decanter with Bottle of Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select Custom Navy SEAL Museum Swim Fin Wall Plaque, Presented at Evening’s Event Executive Tour of the Navy SEAL Museum for up to 20 people (travel expenses to Fort Pierce, Florida excluded) |
Platinum Sponsor | |
Annual Membership to the Navy SEAL Museum Preferred Seating for Ten at the Heroes on The Bluff Event Company Logo on Museum Website Full-Page Ad in Museum Publication Recognition in Event Program Social Media Promotion Inclusion in Event Press Release Engraved Museum Decanter with Bottle of Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select Custom Navy SEAL Museum Swim Fin Wall Plaque, Presented at Evening’s Event Executive Tour of the Navy SEAL Museum for up to 20 people (travel expenses to Fort Pierce, Florida excluded) Publicity and display opportunities at all events throughout the HOTB Weekend A Navy SEAL Museum Custom SIG Sauer P226 9mm Pistol |
In Loving Memory of John Hopper
The Museum is deeply saddened by the unexpected passing of our Heroes on The Bluff host, John Hopper. John was a Museum Advisory Board member, enthusiastic advocate, generous supporter, and dear friend. He came to the Museum with an idea to fundraise in Bluffton, South Carolina, and Heroes on The Bluff was born. John founded, built, and grew this event to share his love for country and the SEAL Teams with the community he also so devoutly loved.
John truly loved the Museum and devoted himself to the cause. He was fiercely committed to helping others, and his passion for service was contagious. His larger-than-life personality and ardent nature wooed everyone he met, particularly those he convinced to serve on his Heroes on The Bluff committee. John’s shoes will be impossible to fill, and his absence will be felt by all forever.
We extend our prayers and most sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all of the Palmetto Bluff community during this most difficult time.
John William Hopper, II
March 1, 1958 ~ March 14, 2023 (age 65)
John William Hopper II, of Bluffton, SC passed away on Tuesday, March 14, 2023. He was born on March 1, 1958 in East Liverpool, Ohio to John & Doloras Hopper. After graduating from East Liverpool High School and working in the steel mills of western Pennsylvania over summers to finance his education, John received his BA from Mount Union College and MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. After beginning his career in finance, he earned his Juris Doctorate from the Moritz College of Law at The Ohio State University where he met Diane Boniface, his beloved wife of 31 years. He and Diane had three children, each of whom he loved equally and who were the center of his life. John’s career took him from Pittsburgh, PA to Birmingham, AL, Cincinnati, OH, and Bluffton. Each step of the way he achieved great professional and personal success — as a corporate counsel, technology CEO, investment banker, and, finally, as an entrepreneur – through his natural determination and talent. John was a force of nature who took great joy in solving problems and building meaningful relationships with those in his life. He was truly a self-made man, and intensely devoted to his family as a proud father and ever-loving husband.
John’s talents afforded him the opportunity to build and live the life he wanted, and he went out of his way to share his life passions with his family and friends. John’s many personal friends will fondly recall his passion for the Pittsburgh Steelers & Penguins, Formula 1 racing, hunting, bourbon, and golf. John enjoyed serving the community through his involvement in the National Navy SEAL Museum where he served on the Advisory Board.
John was loved deeply by those who knew him and will be forever cherished by his wife Diane; children John (Laura Pettersen) of Chicago, Benjamin (Erin Drake) of Jacksonville, and Clair of Pittsburgh; surviving sisters Rebecca Engelhard of Springboro, OH and Jacqueline Craft of Bluffton; 30 nieces and nephews; and countless personal friends and professional associates. He was preceded in death by his parents, John & Doloras, and his sister Cynthia.
The family will hold a Celebration of Life on Wednesday, March 22, 2023 at 1 PM at the May River Chapel at Palmetto Bluff, 9 Boat House St, Bluffton, SC 29910. Visitation will begin at 11:30 AM.
In lieu of flowers, John’s family has asked that donations be made to the Navy SEAL Museum in his memory.